Lemonade Pet Insurance Review
This Lemonade Pet Insurance Review lets you compare the best pet insurance companies.
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As new generations settle down, they’re becoming ever more drawn to having pets. A study by theAmerican Pet Products Association found that 24% of Gen-X, 27% of Boomers, and 32% of Millennials have pets. With the rise in pet adoption, there’s also an increased need for pet insurance.
However, there are countless popular pet insurance companies in the U.S., and it can be exhausting to sift through each of their offerings and objectively compare them.
This article aims to review Lemonade Pet Insurance so that you can quickly grasp what they offer and compare it to other providers.
Benefits and Limitations of Lemonade Pet Insurance
Benefits of Lemonade
You can choose to cover memorial items as an add-on.
You receive a 5% multiple pet discount.
They offer comparatively lower premiums.
Limitations of Lemonade
Requires an examination of your pet to qualify for cover.
Doesn’t cover pets under two months old or over 15 years old.
Only available in 35 states.
Six-month waiting period for cruciate ligament disease.
What Does Lemonade Pet Insurance Cover?
1. Base accident and illness coverage
As a pet insurance provider, Lemonade covers the cost of diagnostics, procedures, and medications that your cat or dog requires following an accident or illness. Here’s an example of what would be covered under each of these categories if your pet needs medical attention:
Diagnostics: Imagine your dog shows signs of anguish while urinating and you take them to the vet to find out what’s wrong. Here, they do blood work, urinalysis, and several other diagnostic tests, before determining that it’s a urinary tract disease called urinary calculi (or “stones”). Depending on the symptoms your pet is showing, other diagnostic tests may include X-rays, MRIs, CT scans, lab work, and ultrasounds.
Procedures: Your vet then recommends performing surgery that will remove the stone from the urethra. This requires temporary hospitalization, as well as the use of medical equipment. If your pet had another medical emergency, it may have also received outpatient, specialty, and emergency care.
Medications: Once your dog has successfully made it out of surgery and you can take them home to recuperate, your vet may prescribe them antibiotics and other supplements to help them heal and prevent a reoccurrence of the urinary stones.
This is an example of an illness, but the same assistance would be available to your pet if they were in an accident. Ultimately, your pet will be covered by Lemonade Pet Insurance for any emergency care.
On top of this, your pet will be covered for the following:
Hereditary conditions: If your pet is a purebred cat or dog, then it may be susceptible to a range of medical conditions. For example, if you have a spaniel, it may suffer from myxomatous mitral valve disease later in life. Lemonade will cover medical treatment for this.
Congenital conditions: This is when your pet develops an abnormality while it’s still in its mother’s belly. For example, if your cat has feline Down syndrome, it will display similar traits to Down syndrome in humans. This may require special care, which is covered by Lemonade.
Your pet will also be covered for allergy medication, cancer, heart disease, arthritis medications, road accidents, outpatient care, specialty care, injections, prescription medications, as well as knee, elbow, and hip dysplasia.
Source: Pexels
2. Extended accident and illness coverage
Unlike other pet insurance companies, Lemonade allows you to upgrade your base accident and illness coverage by adding any–or all–of the following to your policy:
Physical therapy: This includes a range of treatments, such as acupuncture, chiropractic care, cryotherapy, electro-acupuncture, gait training, heat therapy, hydrotherapy, joint mobilization, laser therapy, and therapeutic exercises.
Vet visits: This will kick in when you need to take your pet for a vet exam, vet checkup, physical consultation, office visit, or emergency room visit. However, it won’t cover you for vet visits for chronic conditions or preventative care, such as an annual checkup.
Behavioral conditions: If your vet recommends that your cat or dog get treated for anxiety or anger issues, then your Lemonade Pet Insurance policy will foot the vet bills related to this. However, this doesn’t include cosmetic training, such as hiring someone to teach your pet how to “play dead”.
End of life and remembrance: If your family pet passes away, you will be able to offer them a dignified sendoff. This may include euthanasia, cremation, and memorial items. However, this won’t pay for the cost of a funeral for your pet or burial expenses.
Dental illness: If your pet struggles with their teeth, you will be able to use this cover to assist them. It includes procedures such as root canals, gingivitis treatments, and tooth extractions.
Additional Coverage or Add-Ons for Lemonade Pet Insurance
1. Preventative and Preventative+ packages
After selecting your base and preferred extended cover (if any), you will also have the opportunity to add preventative care packages. Lemonade Pet Insurance policies have two options, Preventative and Preventative+, and they offer you the following maximum annual limits:
| Preventative: Maximum Annual Budget | Preventative+: Maximum Annual Budget | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 wellness exam | $50 | $50 |
| 1 fecal or internal parasite test | $35 | $35 |
| 3 vaccines | $75 | $75 |
| 1 heartworm or FeLV/FIV test | $40 | $40 |
| 1 blood test | $65 | $65 |
| Routine dental cleaning | Not covered | $150 |
| Flea/tick or heartworm medication | Not covered | $65 |
The main difference between the two is the inclusion of routine dental cleaning and flea/tick or heartworm medication, which is only available on the Prevention+ package.
2. Puppy or kitten preventative package
The majority of pet insurance providers don’t offer special add-ons for young pets–but Lemonade does. They have a unique package that’s aimed at young pets under two years old, which includes:
Wellness exam.
Fecal or internal parasite test.
Vaccines.
Heartworm test.
Blood test.
Medical advice chat.
Spay or neuter.
Microchip.
Flea or tick or heartworm medication.
Source: Pexels
Lemonade Pet Insurance Coverage Levels and Customizations
You have a couple of options when it comes to choosing how your medical aid will support you. With Lemonade, you can select the following coverage levels:
1. Annual deductions
Lemonade has an annual deductible in place. This means that you need to pay the first part of your vet bill before your pet insurance will pay its share of your remaining bill.
For example, imagine your cat returns home with lacerations from fighting another cat. You rush them to the vet and make sure they’re treated. Thereafter, it’s time to settle the bill, which amounts to $400. However, your Lemonade Pet Insurance won’t kick in until you’ve paid your annual deductible.
Depending on what you’ve chosen while setting up your policy, your deductible may be $100, $250, or $500. For this example, let’s assume you chose a $100 deductible.
You then pay your $100 deductible toward your vet bill, and the remaining amount ($400 - $100 = $300) will then be presented to Lemonade to pay the reimbursement percentage you’ve selected (see next section).
2. Reimbursement level
After your deductible has been settled, Lemonade Pet Insurance will pay a certain percentage of the vet bill. This percentage is called the reimbursement level or rate, and you can choose between 70%, 80%, and 90%.
If we continue with the above example and assume you selected a reimbursement level of 90%, then Lemonade will pay 90% of the remaining bill, which is $270, and you will pay the rest, which is $30.
3. Annual limits
The final customization you can make is in terms of your annual limits. This is the total amount of funds that will be allocated to you in a year. If your pet’s emergency medical costs add up to more than this amount, then you will have to pay for the excess out of pocket.
Through Lemonade Pet Insurance, you can choose an annual limit of $5,000, $10,000, $20,000, $50,000, and R100,000. Let’s imagine you have an annual limit of $5,000 and you tried to claim $7,000 during the last year. Lemonade will pay $5,000, but they will reject payment of the amount above your limit ($2,000).
Source: Pexels
Lemonade Pet Insurance Exclusions
Just like any other pet insurance, Lemonade prevents you from claiming under certain conditions. The following will restrict your cover:
1. Preexisting conditions
Lemonade requires you to submit the results of a vet checkup no older than 12 months (or before the end of your waiting period) before your policy is considered valid. This helps them determine whether your pet has any preexisting conditions which will be excluded from your cover.
If it comes to light that your pet has a preexisting condition, such as heart disease, cancer, or eczema, then the condition will be excluded from your insurance policy.
2. Waiting periods
Lemonade Pet Insurance doesn’t cover pets that are under two months old or over fifteen years old. When you sign your pet up, it will undergo a 14-day waiting period for illnesses and a two-day waiting period for accidents.
On top of this, if your pet shows signs of cruciate ligament disease during the first six months of your policy, it will also be excluded.
Factors That Impact Your Premium
Your monthly insurance premium depends on certain innate factors—such as your pet's breed, age, gender, and the location of your pet—as well as variable factors such as your chosen coverage levels.
Imagine your dog is a mixed breed that’s not susceptible to any inevitable hereditary diseases, and it’s only two years old and female. To top this off, you live in a small town with an affordable veterinarian. Since this is a low-risk profile, you will be offered a lower monthly premium.
If you’d like to ensure you have an even lower premium, you can select the lowest annual limit ($5,000), the highest deductible ($500), and the lowest reimbursement level (70%).
Lemonade Pet Insurance Reviews and Ratings
| Lemonade | Figo | Pets Best | Spot | Embrace | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State availability | Only available in 35 states | Available in all 50 states | Available in all 50 states | Available in all 50 states | Available in all 50 states |
| Waiting period for injuries | 2 days | 1 day | 3 days | 14 days | 2 days |
| Waiting period for illness | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days | 14 days |
| Reimbursement level | 70% 80% 90% | 70% 80% 90% 100% | 70% 80% 90% | 70% 80% 90% | 70% 80% 90% |
| Deductible choices | $100 $250 $500 $1,000 | Varies by pet age | $50 $100 $200 $250 $500 $1,000 | $100 $250 $500 $750 $1,000 | $200 $300 $500 $750 $1,000 |
Key Takeaways
Lemonade Pet Insurance has a quirky online sign-up questionnaire. The website has good functionality, and it’s easy to understand what’s going on. However, the information can be difficult to consolidate. There isn’t a single page that explains their insurance policies in full.
They offer somewhat standard waiting periods for illness and accident cover. However, the addition of a six-month waiting period for cruciate ligament disease can be seen as a negative. Lemonade is also not available in every state, which means that this isn’t an option for all pet parents.
When you take out a policy with them, your pet has to undergo a physical exam. This allows them to confirm preexisting conditions and exclude them. As a result, this may explain why they have slightly lower premiums compared to other pet insurance providers.
If you have a pet that’s under two years old without any preexisting conditions, then this may be the insurance for you. You can benefit from their puppy or kitten preventative package, and get on board with low premiums before any signs of illness arrives.
Source: Pexels
Lemonade Pet Insurance FAQ
1. How do you claim from Lemonade Pet Insurance?
Lemonade works on a reimbursement basis, which means that you can settle the bill yourself and they will then reimburse you their part of the bill. You can file claims through the Lemonade app.
2. What happens if you miss a payment?
If your debit order fails or you don’t make your payments on time, Lemonade will reach out to you to try and resolve the matter. However, they will be forced to cancel your policy if you continue to miss your payments.
3. Will you be covered if your dog bites someone?
Lemonade will not cover you for damages your dog causes. This kind of insurance will fall under your homeowner’s insurance or personal liability cover. Not sure whether Lemonade is the best pet insurance for you? You can reach us at 1-888-912-2132 or send an email to Help@PolicyScout.com to get assistance from one of our trained consultants for more options.